Chapter 55: Childhood Story (Part 2) “Hold me tight before you go.”…
Li Jieyi's eyes were filled with guilt and self-blame. "Even before the Li family was reported, your mother noticed something was wrong and wrote me a letter..."
At that time, many of the most important ministers, headed by Song Jiusi, died on the battlefield. The court was leaderless, and the military and political power fell into the hands of the regent, the Crown Prince Li.
The Crown Prince had previously been suppressed and controlled by the late emperor and his ministers. He held a grudge and compiled a list of all the ministers who had impeached him. He classified their crimes according to the sharpness of their words and sent out the Embroidered Uniform Guard to arrest "suspects" on a large scale. The Crown Prince's close ministers openly accepted bribes, calling it filial piety to the Crown Prince. Ministers who paid less or no filial piety were punished with an even higher level of punishment.
At the time, the war between Wei and the Dirong was at a stalemate. Ministers repeatedly urged a decisive battle to eliminate the Dirong as a threat. The pro-war scion of the Song family was particularly enraged. Crown Prince Li, fearful of death, was unwilling to devote the nation's resources to a campaign with an uncertain outcome, fearing future criticism. Crown Prince Li's closest aides, long at odds with the Song family, seized the opportunity to falsely accuse them of colluding for personal gain. Crown Prince Li, already displeased with the Song family, took advantage of the situation and began his campaign to eliminate their supporters.
Some loyal officials at court were filled with righteous indignation, denouncing the Crown Prince's tyranny and persecution of virtuous officials. These loyal and righteous men were either killed or exiled, and none escaped. Among them was Liu Ruhua's father, Liu Zhengying, a veteran general who had guarded the frontier for decades. From then on, every official felt insecure, and a sense of unease reigned throughout the court and the country.
It was at this time that the Shen family chose to retreat bravely, hand over military power, and protect themselves.
Song Lingyi knew that delivering a letter directly to Li Jieyi would likely be intercepted by the Imperial Guards. Therefore, she wrote a congratulatory letter in the name of the Li family and included it in a gift list to Shen Zhongda, who had just inherited the title. She knew that although Li and Shen had their differences, they always had a clear mind on important matters. She assumed that Shen Zhongda would convey the letter on her behalf. She sensed the impending storm and knew that if she fell into trouble, she would likely face retaliation along the way. She had no other request but that her friend would look after her three innocent children.
After receiving the letter, Shen Zhongda did indeed pass it on to Li Jieyi, but he thought she would blame him for reading it without permission, so he did not open it and simply sent someone to pass it on. At the time, Li Jieyi was still immersed in grief and had no time to care about state affairs. She led the Fengling Guard to the Dirong tribe several times, risking her life, just to find Song Jiusi's body. The two of them had a big argument over this, and she didn't even notice that he had sent someone to deliver a letter to her.
When Li Jieyi returned to Beijing and read the letter, the Li family's property had been ransacked and their members were already on their way south. Li Jieyi was shocked and broke into a cold sweat, suspecting that Shen Zhongda was deliberately seeking revenge and not helping her. The rift between them deepened.
In fact, if Li Jieyi had gone south immediately at that time, she would have been able to catch up with the Li family.
But unfortunately, she encountered a flood. The Huai River overflowed and the road was blocked. Li Jieyi had to abandon her horse and rent a boat to continue her journey.
But watching the widespread suffering, Li Jieyi felt a pang of pain. The Crown Prince had done nothing, having reigned for only two months when capable officials were brutally murdered, and most of the remaining officials were corrupt officials planted by the Crown Prince's cronies. Li Jieyi retained half of her troops to help the government, which had yet to react, with rescue efforts and disaster relief.
Chuqi finally understood at this moment the meaning of the old voice in the dense forest urging him to hurry up.
"I chased them all the way and finally got news of the Li family in Fuzhou. I only needed to gallop faster, and within half an hour, I would be able to reunite with Lingyi... But at this moment, I encountered a group of Japanese pirates committing crimes in a nearby village..."
Even after many years, when Li Jieyi recalled the scene at that time, she still felt deeply helpless and confused, and her heart ached uncontrollably.
The bluestone road was muddy, and horse hooves splattered yellow mud and blood. She saw trampled fruits and vegetables, children's fallen cloth shoes, the remains of men, and women's torn clothes... Cries mingled with screams, and everywhere there was the rapid pounding of gongs, one louder than the other. The dense, sharp sound felt like it was hitting her temples, making her dizzy. Li Jieyi rushed past the fork in the road, her heart torn in two. She shook her head, trying to swing the whip, but the strength was gone. She felt the earth tremble with a mournful cry, and the scene before her became clearer and clearer: a woman holding a swaddled child sat on a rooftop, wailing uncontrollably as fire raged. A son, shielding his elderly mother behind him, raised his hoe and rushed towards the bandits, only to be ripped apart by a sharp knife the next moment. The old woman picked up her son's hoe, tears streaming down her face, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "I will fight you!!!"
Just as the Japanese sword was about to fall on the old woman's head, a sharp sound of breaking through the air was heard, and the Japanese pirate wearing a conical hat fell heavily to the ground from his horse.
Li Jieyi's strikes were lightning fast, arrow after arrow, and in a flash, three or four bandits lay dead. She gripped the reins tightly, turning her horse's head and galloping towards the village. The rough ropes bruised her hands, but she felt nothing. She used all her strength to avoid looking at the dark road behind her. She swallowed hard, but she could hear the gurgling sound of some monster in her ears, the unformed wail squeezed from its chest, as if it were being strangled, spasming and twisting into a hoarse knot, the sorrow unmistakable, the words unsentenced.
Li Jieyi wiped her face, swallowing the blood, tears, and reluctance. When she raised her eyes again, her pupils were red from the raging fire. She raised the blood-stained sword high above her head and shouted, "Fight in the streets and kill the Japanese pirates!"
The Fengling Guards behind him heard the news and moved, drawing their sharp blades and rushing into the darkness.
Li Jieyi actually had a premonition at the time. She knew it was too late.
At that fork in the road, she passed Song Lingyi. This farewell was a farewell between life and death. She made her own choice and lost her best friend forever.
What kind of mood did Song Lingyi feel when she wrote to herself? How disheartened must she have been when she received no reply? Perhaps she ignored the letter, thinking she was trying to stay out of trouble? How painful must she have felt as she watched her family and friends being murdered one after another on the run? Did she feel a surge of hatred when she saw Li Mingzhe, who had dedicated his life to fighting the Japanese pirates, beheaded and displayed publicly?
Li Jieyi lied. When Song Lingyi and her daughter left, their clothes were not clean at all. They were covered in blood and knife marks, with not a single intact spot. Li Jieyi wanted to touch her friend's face, but she didn't even know where to start.
When she arrived, Song Lingyi was still breathing her last breath, her eyes staring straight towards the cliff.
Li Jieyi noticed it and followed her gaze. When she looked at Song Lingyi again, a crystal tear rolled down the corner of her eye and she closed her eyes quietly in Li Jieyi's arms.
A mournful wailing sound rang out in the mountains and forests. It was so sad and desolate that it lasted for a long time, and those who heard it were moved by compassion.
Li Jieyi looked at Chuqi, who looked like the Soong siblings, and years of pent-up emotions burst out. She held Chuqi's hand, sobs escaping her throat, "It's my fault! If I hadn't been so impulsive, if I had been faster, faster, I'm so sorry to your mother, and to the Li family..."
A voice sounded, interrupting her slowly but forcefully: "No...that's not the case."
"I clearly remember that at the foot of the cliff, someone kept saying 'the boat is coming' and urged me to go faster. Today I finally understood. The boat he was talking about was the eldest princess' boat." Chuqi's eyes were swollen and painful. He always felt strange before. The voice urging him to go was so unpleasant, and every sound was hoarse and stained with blood. Why didn't he feel scared when he recalled it?
"He wasn't afraid of being caught and killed, but because he could no longer walk. He was afraid that I couldn't go on alone, so he could only remind me over and over again, shouting at the top of his lungs, to walk faster and run towards the water. He hoped that I could meet the princess's boat."
Until the end, even Chuqi himself couldn't tell whether the old voice that kept echoing in his ears was really still there. Every time he couldn't walk and fell down, there would always be a voice pushing his shoulders and calling him: "Little Master, hurry up, the boat that rescued us is here, keep going, don't stop!"
How could he be afraid? It was that voice that was holding him up to a glimmer of hope.
"My mind was completely bewildered at the time, and all I could remember were 'boat' and 'water'. After leaving the forest, I asked people where I could find boats and water." Chu Qi's mouth was filled with bitterness. The Huai River was flooding at the time, and it seemed his unclear explanation had led to people pointing him in the wrong direction. "I walked all the way north, and that's why I missed your Highness's search..."
Later, Chuqi encountered refugees heading south due to flooding. One couple believed he was heading north to find his parents, who had abandoned him. Floods often breed disease, and with bandits aplenty along the way, a child traveling alone north would be tantamount to suicide. Unable to bear the thought, they lied to him, saying they would take him to find a boat and take him south. It was then that Chuqi met Chen Huisheng.
"I believe my mother must have received your message by then, or perhaps even earlier. They knew someone was rushing towards them without hesitation. They knew they had not been forgotten. They also knew someone would seek justice for them."
On the seventh day, he straightened his sleeves and stood up, walked to the center, and knelt three times, saying, "Your Highness, I, Li Linyuan, on behalf of my late father, Li Mingzhe, my late mother, Song Lingyi, and all twenty members of the family, thank you for your great grace!"
Chu Qi bowed to the ground, his breath hot and swollen, "Your Highness is so noble and righteous. I admire you deeply and will never forget you."
The Li family was in trouble, and as parents, Li Mingzhe and Song Lingyi sensed the coming storm. How could they pin their hopes solely on Li Jieyi? Chuqi didn't know how many letters his parents had sent for help, but he knew that Li Jieyi was the only one who actually took action.
During that period, as many as a thousand ministers were persecuted. No one dared to wade into the muddy waters of the Song and Li families. Only Li Jieyi risked being beheaded and traveled thousands of miles just to keep a promise.
When the nest is overturned, no eggs remain intact. The Song family was overthrown overnight, and the Li family, devastated, was reduced to a fragile branch. Had it not been for the strong support from those behind the scenes, the Li family would have long since faded into the dust of history. Furthermore, after the new emperor ascended the throne, the unjust case was overturned, and Song Lingyi was posthumously awarded the title of "Chaste and Brave First-Rank Lady." Li Mingzhe was posthumously awarded the title of Guanglu Dafu and the title of Wuding Hou, with the posthumous title of Zhongmin, and hereditary titles of nobility. Later, both the Song and Li families were strongly recommended for inclusion in the historical annals of the Wei Dynasty.
To this day, even the Li family has given up hope. Only Li Jieyi still remembers Song Lingyi's unspoken entrustment and has been searching for her own trace in the vast sea of people for decades.
Only Li Jieyi, only she still remembers it.
Chuqi didn't say forgiveness, but Li Jieyi found the power of forgiveness in these words.
She asked about Chuqi's experience and was filled with emotion. She thought that Chen Huisheng and his wife and Lin Meizhu were truly benefactors to her and the Song and Li families, and even more so to Chuqi, who allowed Chuqi to have such a kind and gentle heart after going through so many things.
Because of the friendship between Song Lingyi and Li Jieyi, Chu Qi felt not only respect and gratitude for Li Jieyi, but also a natural affinity. Li Jieyi, needless to say, had imagined Chu Qi a thousand times in her mind, and now, seeing that his personality, knowledge, and appearance were even more remarkable than she had expected, she was both relieved and delighted. Although it was their first meeting, the two of them were unrestrained, speaking as if they had known each other for a long time.
After pouring out her heart, Li Jieyi felt a long-unseen sense of relief. Thinking of her seventh-grade success in the imperial examination, she was sure to be appointed a prime minister someday. Her sadness turned to joy, and she raised her cup to toast, "I was unable to attend the Qionglin Banquet in person. This cup of wine congratulates you on 'seeing all the flowers in Chang'an in one day.' I also hope that you will have a smooth career ahead, with mountains and rivers before your eyes and no worries in your heart."
Chuqi thanked him and took a sip, finding the wine stronger than usual, his throat immediately warming. But Li Jieyi drank like water, which made Chuqi laugh. His mother also came from the military, so he wondered if she would be so generous and carefree when drinking.
Li Jieyi looked at his stunned face and somehow guessed his thoughts. She smiled through tears and said, "Your mother can't drink much. She always cries when she's drunk. Your father was terrified when I invited her out for a drink, but he didn't dare tell her directly... Once, your mother and I were drinking, and your sister rushed in and said, 'Oh no! Little Fish and Stone are fighting!' I knew she was lying the moment she heard it. Your brother is very strong. He accidentally pushed you into the lake. You're fine, but he felt so guilty that he couldn't eat for days. He loves you as his brother the most... How could he have the heart to hit you?"
Chuqi felt the heat in his throat flow into his heart, making him feel warm and dizzy, with ripples spreading out and a faint pain. He listened to the bits and pieces of the past, laughing and laughing, and his eyes became moist again.
The two of them chatted by candlelight at night, unaware that time was passing so quickly.
After about an hour, Li Jieyi's voice gradually became quieter and she finally stopped pouring the wine. She leaned her arm on her chin with her palm, looking drowsy.
Chu Qi saw that she was drunk and it was inappropriate to stay any longer. He quietly stood up and left. He took two slow steps and suddenly heard the sound of a wine bottle tumbling and falling to the ground. Then someone grabbed the corner of his sleeve and called out softly in a murmurous tone, as if afraid of waking her from a dream, "Sir?"
Chuqi paused, quickly realizing that Li Jieyi had mistaken him for Song Jiusi. Ever since arriving in Beijing, many people had said he bore a striking resemblance to his uncle. He'd heard that Li Jieyi and Song Jiusi had a close teacher-student relationship, and the familiar, surprised tone of her voice when she called him today suggested the rumors were true.
He didn't dare to rashly pull out his sleeves, let alone look directly at the person in front of him, so he could only bow and lower his eyes to gently remind him: "Your Highness, the night dew is heavy, I will take my leave first."
The warm yellow candlelight flickered gently, and his silhouette seemed to be shrouded in a hazy soft light. His face was warm, and his slightly drooped eyes seemed to carry a lot of tenderness. Even the slightly upturned corners of his mouth were exactly the same as in memory.
After Chuqi finished speaking, he stepped back.
Li Jieyi looked at the figure gradually moving away, feeling her heart breaking. Suddenly, two lines of hot tears rolled down her cheeks. She said in a daze, "Sir, won't you hug me?"
"Sir, please hold me before you go."
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